What If Cuddles
by pancakesforbreakfast
Summary: Arkady thinks Violet is acting strange. Violet just figured out something new about Arkady. Fluff with heart ensues. A The Strange Case of Starship Iris fic


If the change had happened about three weeks ago, Arkady would have understood. The crew had survived Plan B, she and Violet had kissed, and then they had gone on their first date (if a surface run for supplies unsupervised could actually be called a date). But it hadn't happened then. And for the life of her, Arkady could not figure out what had changed now.

Violet had never shown particular touchy-feely tendencies. It took her a week to accept Sana's gentle shoulder touches and a full month before she stopped flinching when Arkady checked her safety straps on takeoff and landing. (But that might have been about the killing thing, Arkady reminds herself. It is too easy to forget her past around the biologist these days.) It is not that Violet's averse to touch, though – she has no problem high-fiving Brian when he gets excited about some discovery of theirs or manhandling Krejjh's leg during their physical therapy sessions. She just doesn't do any more touch than is necessary in most situations.

So Arkady felt ecstatic when Violet would hold her hand while they walked in the corridors or give her a quick hug and kiss before they parted ways for the night shift. But it was always those private moments, and more often than not, Arkady saw that she was the one initiating.

The change started that morning when the whole expanded crew was gathered in the cockpit to discuss their plans for tomorrow's pick up of flavored coffees and melatonin pills. Violet had reached across her body to hold Arkady's left hand in her own and played absent-mindedly with her fingers through the meeting. It was comparatively little next to Krejjh and Brian's apparent contest to see who could come up with the most disgusting pet names, but it plastered an uncharacteristic smile to Arkady's face all morning just the same.

Then Violet planted a kiss on Arkady's cheek when she whisked away their dishes after lunch… in front of Sana, RJ, and Park. That was when Arkady began to root through her memories for what might have changed to make her girlfriend suddenly so much more open with her affection.

Now she was sitting in the lab-turned-crew-lounge of the Iris II talking with Sana and Brian about possible buyers for their latest load when their resident biologist waltzed in and practically sat on Arkady's lap, bent knees piled on her grease-stained tactical pants and head leaning on her shoulder. Brian cut off mid-sentence, and his eyes bulged so wide Arkady thought they might split into another set to match Krejjh's quadraoptics. Sana just raised an eyebrow at her first mate, who did her best to convey a shrug without actually moving her shoulders, and then smoothly picked up the conversation.

Violet did not contribute much to their discussion, as was usual when it came to the more illegal details of their job, but neither did she fall asleep (Arkady might have understood the cuddling if the scientist was sleep-deprived from one of the nightmares Arkady knew she had every few nights). Instead, every time Arkady looked down, Violet's eyes were wide awake and tracking whoever was speaking intently.

"I'll reach out to those contacts and let you know what I hear. In the meantime, let's just focus on a clean pick-up," Sana concluded. Arkady didn't miss the captain's elbow nudging Brian as she planted her arms to push herself up from the couch. "See you all at dinner! Park said he'd make dim sum so it should be good."

Brian, too, climbed to his feet as Sana left. "I better go check on Krejjh. They said something about wanting to redecorate the cockpit, and well, you know how they get. Plus, they promised they'd leave a wall for me! See ya, Arkady! See ya, Violet!"

As he skittered away, Violet shook her head, "I'm not sure if I trust his sense of décor any more than I do Krejjh's." Arkady chuckled but sat up a bit, forcing her girlfriend to also sit up and shift to face her more fully.

"Umm… Liu?" she asked. "Not that I'm complaining, but what's up with all the cuddly, touchy-feely stuff all of a sudden?"

* * *

For a biologist, Violet Liu isn't always the most observant. Case in point, Arkady and Sana managed to rebuild the space greenhouse in the Iris II's kitchen over the span of a week without her noticing. But she's not quite sure if she can really be blamed for missing this one. After all, Arkady doesn't exactly project soft and cuddly. Not to mention, Violet's spent 70% of the time she's known the woman balancing on the edge of a panic attack.

But now things have finally calmed down. Life has more or less gone back to normal for the Rumor crew (or what Violet thinks might have been their normal before all the whole nanoswarm thing happened). RJ and Lenny have even settled in to life as wanted criminals. Well, Lenny has. Violet has barely held a conversation with RJ despite Sana's increasingly obvious attempts to get them alone in a room together. The captain seems to think that Violet is the best person to get through to the ex-agent, but RJ has yet to open up to her, usually escaping faster than Violet can even say "Hello."

So it surprises her when she first starts noticing: Arkady just barely leaning against Krejjh's side in their daily crew meetings, Arkady ruffling Brian's hair as she walks by, Arkady checking everyone's straps by hand every time they land and take-off. Honestly, Violet might have ignored it all if it weren't for Captain Tripathi. The captain is very open with her touches but also very deliberate. Krejjh gets high fives but never the shoulder pats that she gives everyone else, because shoulders are a vulnerable spot for Dwarnians. She always makes contact with Lenny on his right side, so that he can see it coming. And she has barely touched RJ except when they initiate. But with Arkady, their captain is extremely liberal. It's more than just that these two have known each other the longest. Violet can tell because Arkady doesn't just tolerate Sana's shoulder pats and arms flung around her shoulders: she leans into them. The scientist has even caught her closing her eyes and softening always-tense shoulders under the other woman's touch.

One of Arkady's love languages is touch. Suddenly, it makes so much more sense why her lips quirk into a small smile when their arms brush against each other in the tight hallways and why she hums as they part ways after a saying goodnight.

Violet is more of a quality time and words of affirmation girl, but she can certainly make an effort to be more tactile after all that Arkady has done for her. So she starts the next morning, reaching across to capture Arkady's fingers with her own during their crew meeting. The grin that spreads across Arkady's face is so unfiltered and intoxicating that Violet knows she has gotten this right. And she can't wait to see that smile more.

Arkady goes off to wire up two more transponders for RJ and Lenny who will be going to the surface for the first time with this pick up, and Violet doesn't see her until lunch. They sit around the table of the Iris II, which is really four of the little mess hall tables that were only meant for one or maybe two pushed together and bolted down by Captain Tripathi within the first day of them occupying the new ship, eating vegetable chili and chatting about the illicit book run Lenny wants to make at their port tomorrow with the ex-agent, Sana, and RJ. When they've finished eating, Violet rises to gather their dishes, and on her way, she pecks Arkady on the cheek. A blush brightens across the woman's bronze cheeks. Violet hides her self-satisfied smile with her hair as she washes the bowls.

After her daily physical therapy session with Krejjh, Violet goes looking for Arkady. She finds her in the crew lounge, in conversation with Captain Tripathi and Brian. She listens at the open door for a second to be sure she isn't interrupting, but when she realizes they're just talking about which contact is likely to give them the most for their next load, Violet wanders in and sits down next to her girlfriend. If she just so happens to sit very close, balancing her bent knees on said girlfriend's thigh and leaning into her shoulder, who could blame her? The old, rip-at-the-elbow flannel Arkady is wearing looks very soft, after all. She has to fight back the little smirk that rises every time she catches the fighter looking down at her, eyes confused but shoulders more relaxed than they have been since they met.

When Sana and Brian excuse themselves, Violet isn't surprised that Arkady turns to face her with her serious-conversation-face on. Her eyebrows squish together as she says, "Umm… Liu? Not that I'm complaining, but what's up with all the cuddly, touchy-feely stuff all of a sudden?"

Violet picks up the other woman's hands in her own and runs her fingers over the calluses and scars that she is only beginning to learn the stories of. A rush of self-consciousness overcomes her despite her earlier boldness. She can't bring herself to meet Arkady's eyes, focusing instead on their joined hands as she says softly, "It's your love language."

"My –"

"Love language. You know, the five ways that people show and receive care from each other?" Violet raises her gaze to meet her girlfriend's as she speaks.

"I hate to break it you to, Liu, but there wasn't much talk about languages for love in prison."

"Well, there's five main categories: words of affirmation, acts of service, physical touch, quality time, and gifts. You can have different languages for giving and receiving too. I noticed you relax more when the captain touches your shoulder, and you do this thing where you kind of lean towards people when we're in a meeting like you're being pulled by gravity. So I figure touch is one of your love languages. And I thought I should start speaking it more."

Violet shrugs, but Arkady squeezes their joined hands tightly. "You noticed that all, huh?" the taller woman asks. Then she leans in, and their lips meet.

When they break apart, Arkady is staring at her intensely again, brows a little less furrowed than before and a softness about her jaw, though. "You're something else, Liu… but you know you never have to do anything you don't want to do, right? Even if you think it'll make me happy."

Violet leans back in for another peck and answers, "Of course." Then she's borrowing her girlfriend's smirk. "Not like you could make me do anything I didn't want to anyways."

She's off of the couch and halfway to the door before Arkady's teasing voice follows her. "I'm pretty sure there's a couple hours of audio recordings at the IGR proving otherwise, but whatever you say, Liu."

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this little fic inspired by _thevoicefromthestars_ comment on tumblr about the fandom mood being "what if cuddles." This story started off in a whole different direction, but then I was reminded of love languages and all of the sudden Arkady was begging for her language to be touch. So here we are!**


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